10 historical figures whose gender is still debated today

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Dressing up is not a small whim of a new trend and not the individualism of the modern world, this "tradition" dates back to centuries, leaving behind an indelible mark in history, thereby showing famous personalities from the other side. After all, if you look at it this way, then most of the outstanding people were inclined to transvestism, and it is not at all surprising that Joan of Arc and Charles d'Eon were on this list. And who knows how fate would have developed and what history would have become if it had not been for their strange actions.

1. Elagabal (204-222)

Under the strict guidance of his aunt, Elagabalus became the Roman emperor at the age of fourteen. And despite the fact that the boy was awarded such an honor, he continued to behave in an extremely strange way. Marcus Aurelius Antonin not only removed all the hair on his own body, but also, abusing makeup, pretended to be a girl, dressing up in women's clothes. In addition, he had a passion for the fair-haired chariot Hierocles, whom he called his husband. And once the young emperor even told the doctor that he would make him rich if he found a way to make a woman out of him. And despite his secret desires and preferences, the Roman ruler was forced to marry a priestess, who had previously vowed to virginity. And who knows how the fate of Elagabal would have developed in the future, if not for his early death. Possessed by his own insanity and lust for power, he was killed at the age of eighteen during a rebellion raised by soldiers. His body was thrown into the Tiber, imposing a ban on the name Antoninus, which he dishonored.

2. Francois de Choisy (1644-1724)

Historians say that the image of François de Choisy was created by his mother, who passed off her own son as a girl until the age of eighteen. According to one version, the reason lies in the fact that Choisy from an early age was surrounded by the king's brother - Philip I. It is possible that in such a strange way the woman was simply trying to protect her own child from the attacks of King Louis XIV. Or, if you believe another theory, on the contrary, she tried to push her son into a higher and more status society. But be that as it may, François, even after the death of his mother, continued to wear women's clothes, declaring that men's clothes did not suit him. Soon the wayward young man became a real icon of fashion and style among the ladies of the royal court, who often came to him for fashion advice. And in 1773 he published one of his loudest books, Memoirs of a Transvestite.

3. Mary Read (1690 - 1721)

From childhood, Reed was raised by her mother, and at an early age the girl joined the British army, where during the service she encountered pirates. Deciding that piracy was her calling, Mary, disguised as a man, joined a group of pirates, becoming part of their team. Gradually, the cocky and self-confident "young man" began to attract more and more the attention of the female pirate Anne Bonnie, who at any cost decided to get Reed into her networks. But what was her surprise and disappointment when, instead of the desired man, there was a woman in front of her. And yet, according to the legend, these two became companions to each other for the rest of their lives. And in 1720 they were taken prisoner, becoming the only women ever convicted of piracy.

4. Christina queen of Sweden (1626-1689)

The king wanted his daughter to become stronger because she was heir to the throne, and so he decided to raise her as a boy. He often took her on a bear hunt, which soon became Christina's favorite pastime. She was crowned at the age of eighteen, but under constant pressure from marriage and the birth of an heir, ten years after the coronation, Christina, having abdicated the throne, fled Sweden, disguised as a man. After spending several days in this form, she got used to the idea that it is much easier and more convenient to exist in the new world this way. Later, turning to Catholicism, she went to Rome, where she was given special permission to wear men's clothing. It is worth noting the fact that Christina is one of the few women buried in St. Peter's Church in Rome.

5. Deborah Samson (1760-1827)

During the American War, Deborah was drafted into the army under the name of her late brother. Disguised as a man, she fought desperately for her home country. After being wounded, the girl asked for only one thing, so that her comrades would leave her on the battlefield to die, only because she was afraid of her true exposure. But her colleagues, ignoring her ridiculous requests, took Samson to the hospital, from where she fled, removing the bullet from her thigh on her own. However, when she was once again hospitalized, her terrible secret was revealed. But despite this, she was given an honorary dismissal, and the woman went to civilian life. She not only got married, but also gave birth to children, becoming a beloved wife and a happy mother.

Important! In addition, it is worth noting the fact that Samson was not the only woman to pull off a similar trick at the time.

6. Charles d'Eon (1728-1810)

Charles d'Eon was a French diplomat and spy sent to Russia in 1756 to brighten up relations between the two countries. And in order to carry out his plans, he went to a small trick, disguised as a woman, becoming a maid of honor for the Russian empresses. Perhaps he is one of the few people whose gender is still a mystery. According to one version, historians refer to the fact that Chevalier was in fact a woman who lived the first half of her life as a man, and the second half of her life as a woman, while others argue that he was a man who liked to dress up in women's clothing.

8. Marina Monakh

This woman, according to historical data, was born in the 5th century on the territory of Lebanon. She soon adopted the masculine name of Marinos, which allowed her to join her father in the monastery and continue her life under a masculine disguise. However, after her father died, Marina was accused of the fact that, according to one woman who lived near the monastery, she was pregnant with her. Instead of revealing her identity and justifying her own name, Marina was silently punished. And only after her death, when it was finally established that Marina was a woman, the girl who accused her of conceiving a child admitted that she was wrong.

Interesting fact: it is curious that Marina was far from the only woman of her kind, that, leading a religious life, she posed as a man. For example, according to rumors, Joan's dad was also a biological woman, but he posed as a man.

8. Shi Peipu (1938-2009)

When the man was 26 years old, Shea worked as an opera singer and also acquired an admirer named Bernard Boursicot. As the French ambassador to Beijing, Boursicot convinced the young man that he was in fact a woman who was accidentally trapped in a man's body. This was the reason why they entered into a whirlwind romance that lasted over twenty years. However, a little later, Bernard was accused of giving out important information about the activities of the Communist Party. In 1982, he and Shi were arrested in Paris and accused of espionage. On the same day, Boursicot, fearing a wave of humiliation for his relationship with a man after the disclosure of Shi's identity, tries to kill him by cutting his throat. However, Shi survives, which ends this tragic romance.

9. Isabel Eberhard (1877-1904)

The girl was born in Switzerland, but soon her parents moved to North Africa in 1897. There, the girl grew up in a strict Islamic society and began to understand that if she wants to achieve something in life, then she should go for tricks. Therefore, she takes the name Si Mahmoud Essadi and becomes a researcher, and her name is also known as one of the spies who acted during the Algerian uprising against France. A little later, she, still disguising herself as a man, entered the so-called Sufi sect of Qadiriyya, where she ultimately devoted herself to the life of a holy man - a fakir.

10. Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

Perhaps this is the most famous person who has ever existed and whose name every person knows. A young girl during the Hundred Years War claimed that some voices from heaven ordered her to lead the army to a resounding victory and win the war. That is why, in order to achieve her goal, she cut her hair like a boy and dressed like a man in order to fulfill her duty. Note that Jeanne had a significant impact on Charles VII, the heir to the French throne, which led this country to victory. After that, Charles VII ascends the throne, and a young, nineteen-year-old girl is arrested and accused of fraud and disguise, after which she is burned at the stake. However, justice, of course, triumphed, and soon the Catholic Church recognized Jeanne as a saint and named her the savior of France.

Continuing the theme - born by men.